You're standing in a muddy field. It’s raining—not a light drizzle, but that gray, oppressive Temerian downpour that makes everything look like wet charcoal. To your left, a trio of drowner monsters is chewing on a corpse. To your right, a notice board is covered in pleas for help that you aren't strong enough to handle yet. This is the moment most people realize that learning how to play Witcher 3 isn't just about swinging a silver sword. It’s about survival, patience, and realizing that Geralt of Rivia is actually kind of a glass cannon if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Honestly, the game is massive. It’s intimidating. You’ve got alchemy, signs, decoctions, mutagen trees, and a card game called Gwent that will eventually consume your entire soul. Most newcomers make the mistake of treating this like Skyrim. They run into the woods, try to fight everything, and get killed by a level 20 Leshen when they’re still level 4. Don’t do that.
Stop rushing the main quest immediately
White Orchard is your training ground. It’s tempting to sprint through the prologue to find Yennefer, but if you leave too early, you're going to be underleveled and broke. In the Witcher 3, "leveling up" isn't just a number. It’s access to better gear. Go to every single "Question Mark" on the White Orchard map. Find those Places of Power. Each one gives you a free ability point, and early on, those points are more valuable than gold.
You've got to understand the rhythm. The game wants you to be a detective first and a slayer second. If you just mash the light attack button, you’re going to see the loading screen a lot. Geralt is a dancer. You need to dodge (short movement) and roll (long movement). Generally, you should dodge 90% of the time. Rolling consumes stamina, and you need that stamina for Signs.
The Quen safety net
If you take nothing else from this, remember the Quen sign. It’s a golden shield. In the early game, especially on Blood and Broken Bones or Death March difficulties, Quen is your best friend. Cast it before you enter a fight. If a monster hits you, the shield breaks, but you take zero damage. Then you back off, wait for your stamina to recharge, and cast it again. It’s a bit of a "cheese" tactic, but when you're facing a Noonwraith that can two-shot you, you won't care about playing fair.
Understanding the combat flow of how to play Witcher 3
Combat is a conversation. The enemy says something (lunges at you), and you respond (parry or dodge). Humans? Parry them. It opens them up for a counter-attack. Monsters? Never try to parry a monster. You can't parry a three-ton Griffin. You dodge.
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A lot of players ignore the Bestiary. That’s a mistake. CD Projekt Red put actual mechanical weaknesses in there. If you're fighting an Alghoul and it has spikes out, you’re going to take damage every time you hit it. Unless you use the Axii sign to make it retract the spikes. See? It’s a puzzle.
Oils and Potions aren't optional
In most RPGs, you can ignore consumables. Not here. Alchemy is arguably the most brokenly powerful tree in the game if you invest in it. Even if you don't go "full alchemist," you should always be crafting oils. Applying Hanged Man's Venom to your steel sword makes a huge difference when you're clearing out a bandit camp.
- Steel Sword: For humans and non-magical animals (dogs, wolves).
- Silver Sword: For anything that looks like it crawled out of a nightmare.
One quirk: Geralt will usually draw the right sword automatically. If he doesn't, look at the health bar of the enemy. Red bar? Steel. Silver bar? Silver.
Why Gwent is actually the main game
You'll meet a guy in an inn who offers to teach you Gwent. Don't skip it. It seems like a generic card game, but it's one of the best parts of the experience. It also provides a break from the gloom of the war-torn countryside. More importantly, some quests are locked behind Gwent tournaments.
Buy every card you see. Merchants usually sell them for a pittance. The Northern Realms deck is the easiest to start with because of the "Spy" cards. Spies let you draw more cards from your deck. In Gwent, the person with the most cards usually wins. It’s a game of resource management, not just high numbers.
Looting: The art of being a scavenger
Loot everything. Seriously. If there isn't a guard standing right there looking at you, take it. Broken rakes, old ladders, candlesticks—it all has value. You can dismantle these items at a blacksmith to get rare crafting materials like glowing ore or leather scraps. This saves you thousands of crowns later when you're trying to craft Witcher Gear.
Witcher Gear is the only armor that matters. Period. The stuff you find on random bandits is mostly junk compared to the specialized sets:
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- Griffin School: Good for players who love using Signs (magic).
- Feline School: For those who like fast attacks and glass-cannon builds.
- Ursine School: For the tanks who want to take a hit and keep swinging.
- Wolven School: A jack-of-all-trades set that looks the coolest.
You find these by buying maps from blacksmiths. Follow the treasure hunts. They take you into some of the coolest, most dangerous caves in the game.
Making choices that don't ruin your life
The Witcher 3 is famous for its "gray" morality. There is rarely a "correct" choice. Sometimes, being the "nice guy" leads to a village getting slaughtered three hours later. You have to live with it. The game doesn't have a morality meter, so don't try to play it like a Paragon/Renegade system. Just do what you think Geralt would do, or what you would do.
One specific tip for the "good" ending of the main story: pay attention to Ciri. She doesn't need a father figure who solves her problems; she needs a friend who supports her choices. If you try to control her, things will go south. Sometimes, a snowball fight is more important than a political meeting.
Managing your inventory and the "Red" Mutagens
Inventory management is the hidden boss of the game. You'll get weighed down by animal skins and heavy maces. Sell armor to armorers and weapons to blacksmiths to get the best prices. Don't sell your alchemy ingredients—they weigh nothing and you'll need hundreds of them.
Mutagens are the colored orbs you slot next to your skills. Match the colors! Red skills with a Red mutagen give you a massive attack boost. Blue with Blue boosts Sign intensity. Green with Green boosts health. Red mutagens are notoriously hard to find in the early game. If you find one, cherish it. Drowned Dead and Arachas are good sources for them.
Actionable steps for your first 10 hours
- Clear White Orchard completely. Get all six Places of Power.
- Craft the Viper Silver and Steel swords. You can find the diagrams in White Orchard. They are miles better than your starting gear.
- Prioritize "Delusion" in the Axii skill tree. This opens up dialogue options that let you bypass fights and earn extra XP.
- Repair your gear. A broken sword does significantly less damage. Keep repair kits on you for long treks in the wilderness.
- Don't ignore the side quests. In The Witcher 3, the side content is often better written than the main plot of other games. "The Bloody Baron" is a masterpiece of storytelling—don't rush through it.
The world of Geralt of Rivia is bleak, beautiful, and incredibly complex. You're going to get overwhelmed. You're going to wonder why you're carrying 50 bottles of water. But once the combat clicks and you stop fearing the monsters, you'll realize why this is considered one of the greatest RPGs ever made. Just keep your silver sword sharp and your Quen shield up.
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Next steps for your journey:
Check your alchemy tab right now. See if you have the ingredients for "Swallow." It’s the basic healing potion. If you don't have it, go find a herbalist. You'll need it before you face your first Griffin. Once you've got your potions in order, head to the nearest notice board and start looking for "Contract" missions—they are the most reliable way to make money and actually feel like a Witcher.